Dorothy Jordan Movies
Before she established herself as a feisty movie ingenue, dark-haired Dorothy Jordan trained in ballet and studied acting at New York's American Academy of Dramatic Art. A veteran of Broadway musicals, Jordan came to Hollywood in 1929, securing such roles as Bianca in the Fairbanks/Pickford version of Taming of the Shrew (1929) and the daughter of Marie Dressler and Wallace Beery in Min and Bill (1930). From 1932 onward, Jordan's film assignments became increasingly humdrum, prompting her to retire from moviemaking when she married producer Merian C. Cooper. At the request (and cajoling) of her husband and their mutual friend John Ford, Dorothy Jordan made a brief comeback in three Ford-directed films of the 1950s, The Sun Shines Bright (1953), The Searchers (1956) and The Wings of Eagles (1957). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
The Wings of Eagles is filmmaker John Ford's paean to his frequent collaborator--and, it is rumored, drinking buddy--Cmdr. Frank "Spig" Wead. John Wayne stars as Wead, a reckless WW1 Naval aviator who (it says here) was instrumental in advancing the cause of American "air power". In private life, Wead becomes estranged from his wife Minnie (Maureen O'Hara) after the death of their baby. Drinking heavily, Wead tumbles down the stairs of his home, and as a result he is apparently paralyzed for life. With the help of happy-go-lucky Navy mechanic Carson (Dan Dailey), Wead is able to regain minimal use of his legs, but it seems clear that his Naval career is over. Fortunately, he manages to find work as a prolific Hollywood screenwriter, and after the attack of Pearl Harbor he is called back to active duty to oversee the construction of "jeep carriers". Not one of John Ford's more coherent films--in fact, it's downright sloppy at times--The Wings of Eagles nonetheless contains several highlights, not least of which are the "I'm gonna move that toe" scene with John Wayne and Dan Dailey, and Ward Bond's inside-joke performance as irreverent film director "John Dodge". ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Wayne, Dan Dailey, (more)
If John Ford is the greatest Western director, The Searchers is arguably his greatest film, at once a grand outdoor spectacle like such Ford classics as She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949) and Rio Grande (1950) and a film about one man's troubling moral codes, a big-screen adventure of the 1950s that anticipated the complex themes and characters that would dominate the 1970s. John Wayne plays Ethan Edwards, a former Confederate soldier who returns to his brother Aaron's frontier cabin three years after the end of the Civil War. Ethan still has his rebel uniform and weapons, a large stash of Yankee gold, and no explanations as to where he's been since Lee's surrender. A loner not comfortable in the bosom of his family, Ethan also harbors a bitter hatred of Indians (though he knows their lore and language well) and trusts no one but himself. Ethan and Martin Pawley (Jeffrey Hunter), Aaron's adopted son, join a makeshift band of Texas Rangers fending off an assault by renegade Comanches. Before they can run off the Indians, several homes are attacked, and Ethan returns to discover his brother and sister-in-law dead and their two daughters kidnapped. While they soon learn that one of the girls is dead, the other, Debbie, is still alive, and with obsessive determination, Ethan and Martin spend the next five years in a relentless search for Debbie -- and for Scar (Henry Brandon), the fearsome Comanche chief who abducted her. But while Martin wants to save his sister and bring her home, Ethan seems primarily motivated by his hatred of the Comanches; it's hard to say if he wants to rescue Debbie or murder the girl who has lived with Indians too long to be considered "white." John Wayne gives perhaps his finest performance in a role that predated screen antiheroes of the 1970s; by the film's conclusion, his single-minded obsession seems less like heroism and more like madness. Wayne bravely refuses to soft-pedal Ethan's ugly side, and the result is a remarkable portrait of a man incapable of answering to anyone but himself, who ultimately has more in common with his despised Indians than with his more "civilized" brethren. Natalie Wood is striking in her brief role as the 16-year-old Debbie, lost between two worlds, and Winton C. Hoch's Technicolor photography captures Monument Valley's savage beauty with subtle grace. The Searchers paved the way for such revisionist Westerns as The Wild Bunch (1969) and McCabe & Mrs. Miller (1971), and its influence on movies from Taxi Driver (1976) to Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) and Star Wars (1977) testifies to its lasting importance. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Wayne, Jeffrey Hunter, (more)
- 1953
Director John Ford, notoriously difficult to please, regarded The Sun Shines Bright as his favorite film. Laurence Stalllings' screenplay is based on several short stories by Kentucky humorist Irvin S. Cobb, some of which had previously been cinematized in Ford's 1934 Will Rogers vehicle Judge Priest. Charles Winninger stars as Judge William Pittman Priest, whose down-home, common-sense approach to his job has endeared himself to most of the residents of his small Kentucky home town, while alienating many of the "better" people. Up for election, Judge Priest is challenged by a Yankee upstart who has most of the influential citizens in his pocket. Almost deliberately courting defeat, the doggedly honest Priest champions several unpopular causes. In the film's most memorable scene, the Judge arranges a fancy funeral procession for an impoverished town prostitute. The film retains much of the charm of its predecessor Judge Priest; unfortunately (at least by P.C. standards), The Sun Shines Bright also retains the most questionable aspect of the earlier film: the stereotyped routines of African-American comedian Stepin Fetchit. One hardly knows how to react to the sequence in which the supplicative Fetchit tries to hush up a defiant young black man who is in danger of being lynched (Ford plays this scene for laughs!) While Fetchit's participation will hardly endear the film to modern audiences, it is unfair to write off the rest of The Sun Shines Bright, which otherwise fully lives up to director Ford's affectionate assessment. Long available only in its 90 minute release version, the film has in recent years been restored to the 100-minute "director's cut." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Charles Winninger, Arleen Whelan, (more)
- 1933
Lionel Barrymore plays one of those selfless general practitioners that seem to exist exclusively in the movies in One Man's Journey. Though his efforts go unappreciated by his patients and even by his own family, the far-from-wealthy Dr. Eli Watt (Barrymore) continues to dedicate his life to medicine, ultimately inspiring his son Jimmy (Buster Phelps as a child, Joel McCrea as an adult) to follow in his footsteps. As a result of his tireless efforts to pull his community through a deadly epidemic, Dr. Watt is at last honored at a testimonial dinner, where his richer and more famous colleagues lift their glasses in praise of our hero. Of course, Watt also finds time to patch up the romance between his son Jimmy and Jimmy's sweetheart Joan (Frances Dee, Mrs. Joel Crea in real life). One Man's Journey was remade by director Garson Kanin as A Man to Remember (1938) -- a rare instance in which a remake was actually better than the original. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lionel Barrymore, May Robson, (more)
- 1933
In this drama a store clerk gets involved with a radio singer and ends up in a home for unwed mothers. The home is run by a cruel tyrant. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dorothy Jordan, Alexander Kirkland, (more)
- 1932
An eager cub reporter visits a roadhouse, stumbles across a corpse and decides to drum up a little notoriety for himself by pretending to make it look as if he were the killer. He then plans to write a series of articles chronicling his experiences with the courts. Well, it seemed like a good idea at the time. Unfortunately, he made the evidence look too real and he is sent to prison until the real crook is apprehended. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Eric Linden, Bruce Cabot, (more)
- 1932
Clark Gable was officially elevated to stardom with this airborne MGM action-adventure, but good old Wallace Beery (whom Gable disliked in real life) ended up with more screen time. They played Naval officers training in the newfangled art of dive bombing while spending a great deal of time squabbling over who is more macho. The two rivals, of course, end up crashing on a deserted atoll only to discover that behind the tough veneer they share a common goal. In the end, the gruff but lovable Beery sacrifices himself so that Gable and the stolid Conrad Nagel may live. As usual in this kind of testosterone-driven action fare, the girls are given short shrift and have to literally shout to be heard above the din. Dorothy Jordan is forgettable as Gable's love interest, but both Marjorie Rambeau and Marie Prevost, as a couple of goodhearted floozies, make the most of their all too brief moments. Hell Divers is the kind of film where action in the skies makes up for the lack of any real drama and where characters are constantly uttering such lines as "Gee honey, I'm just goofy about you!" The film was produced with full co-operation from the U.S. Navy on-location at San Pedro and in Panama. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Clark Gable, Wallace Beery, (more)
- 1932
This "gimmick" murder mystery begins during a crucial college football game. Wally Clark (Johnny Mack Brown), the team's star player, is killed just before making the winning touchdown, as the titular 70,000 witnesses look on. Wally's teammate Buck Buchanan (Phillips Holmes), the younger brother of gambler Slip Buchanan (Lew Cody), had previously refused to drug Wally at Slip's bequest. Even so, when Wally drops dead, the leading suspect is poor Buck. It's up to bibulous reporter Johnny Moran (Charles Ruggles) and Wally's sister Dorothy Clark (Dorothy Jordan) to save Buck before local detective Dan McKenna (David Landau) railroads the boy into the electric chair. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Phillips Holmes, Dorothy Jordan, (more)
- 1932
Henry Harrison Kroll's novel Cabin in the Cotton was an attack on wealthy southern landowners who exploited their sharecroppers. While the landowners still don't come off too well in Warner Bros.' film version of Kroll's novel, the film tries to avoid stepping on powerful toes, even composing an opening-title disclaimer pointing out that both sides of the issue had arguments in their favor. Richard Barthelmess, 23 going on 45, plays a sharecropper's son who wants to improve his lot with a college education. Land baron Berton Churchill advises Barthelmess' father to get those "silly ideas" out of our hero's head, lest he forget his place. Bette Davis plays Churchill's seductive daughter, whose influence with daddy enables Barthelmess to rise to the position of Churchill's bookkeeper. When Barthelmess discovers that Churchill is cooking the books, Churchill counters that Barthelmess wouldn't have any chance to advance himself without the largess of the landowners. He even tries to get Barthelmess to inform on those field workers who plan to organize a union. A potentially bloody confrontation between the workers and management is quelled by Barthelmess, who manages to wangle compromises from both sides. The only thing Barthelmess loses is Davis, but he is compensated by the affections of longtime sweetheart Dorothy Jordan. Nobody really remembers the plot complications in Cabin in the Cotton; to most viewers, the film is memorable only for Bette Davis' classic line "Ah'd love to kiss ya, but ah jest washed ma hair." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Barthelmess, Dorothy Jordan, (more)
- 1932
A young football hero learns valuable life lessons on the way to becoming a pro in this sports drama. Tommy is a promising player who is working his way through college. He quickly becomes a star on the campus grid-iron, but when he gets entangled in a stock swindle, he nearly destroys his budding career. Fortunately, Tommy smartens up and pays back all of the money he gained when he inadvertently cheated some innocent investors. The USC national championship football team of 1931 appears in the film. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Cromwell, Dorothy Jordan, (more)
- 1932
Unable to find steady work after WWI, three former flying aces -- Gibson (Richard Dix), Woody (Robert Armstrong) and Red (Joel McCrea) -- hire themselves out as stunt flyers for the movies. They find themselves employed by tyrannical director Von Furst (Erich Von Stroheim, playing what amounts to a self-caricature), who has no qualms about sending men to their deaths for the sake of "realism." Developing an esprit de corps with their fellow stunt pilots, our heroes regularly converge at the local watering hole to honor the latest casualties, wiping their names from a blackboard just as they'd done back in the Great War. When Von Furst, driven to insane jealousy by his much-abused wife Follette (Mary Astor), murders one of the pilots in cold blood, the others take a grim but thoroughly justifiable revenge. Boasting several first-rate aviation sequences, The Lost Squadron was scripted by real-life Hollywood stunt flyer Dick Grace (who also appears in the film); it was also the first RKO Radio production to carry the screen credit "executive producer, David O. Selznick." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Dix, Mary Astor, (more)
- 1932
Directed by Victor Fleming, Wet Parade chronicles the effects of alcoholism and the Prohibition on the lives of two families from very different backgrounds. The Tarletons reside in New York City, where the family patriarch (Walter Huston) repeatedly drowns himself in liquor and local bars. The Chilcote family has the same type of problem, though they live in the deep south. Colonal Roger Chilcote (Lewis Stone) also drinks heavily, and illegally makes his income by selling moonshine. Ultimately, both families are torn apart by the alcoholism. The two stories collide when Kip Tarleton (Robert Young) and Maggie May (Dorothy Jordan), both children of alcoholic fathers, join in a common fight against alcohol, feeling it was a key factor in the destruction of their lives. Wet Parade also features actor Jimmy Durante in a small role as a bearded federal agent. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dorothy Jordan, Neil Hamilton, (more)
- 1932
This sequel to the highly successful Will Rogers vehicles They Had to See Paris and So This is London details the further adventures of the nouveau riche Peters family of Claremore, Oklahoma. Oil millionaire Pike Peters (Will Rogers) remains his old "down to earth" self, but his family -- wife Idy (Irene Rich) and son Ross (Matty Kemp) -- insist upon taking on airs. Idy's improvidence reaches hitherto unscaled heights when she insists upon rebuilding the family's French chateau in their hometown of Claremore. Hoping to bring his family to its senses, Pike uses a recent bank failure as an excuse to pretend that he's gone broke. Idy and Ross realize the error of their ways, and things return to normal again -- for the time being, anyway. Some of Down to Earth doesn't make much sense without prior knowledge of They Had to See Paris; in particular, the scenes between Pike Peters and Grand Duke Michael (Theodore Lodi), a Russian aristocrat now reduced to working as a doorman, are far funnier when placed in context with the earlier film. Still, any Will Rogers film is worth watching, if only because Rogers is in it. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Will Rogers, Dorothy Jordan, (more)
- 1931
In this drama, a wild young punk is assigned to spend time with a man who specializes in helping juvenile delinquents. The boy is a tough nut to crack and the two engage in complex psychological and physical games. At one point, the man sticks the rebellious youth alone in a mountain cabin. Much to the delight of the lad, his girl friend sneaks up for a visit. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Thomas Meighan, Hardie Albright, (more)
- 1931
Previously filmed in 1922, the 1917 stage farce The Impostor was reheated in 1931 as the William Haines vehicle A Tailor Made Man. Essaying his usual brash wisecracker, Haines plays John Paul Bart, a pants-presser who tries to crash High Society by borrowing the dress suit owned by millionaire Jellicott (William Austin). Thus garbed, he attends the weekend party held by socialite Mrs. Stanlaw (Hedda Hopper), doing his best to avoid the baleful eye of Jellicott, likewise a party guest. Through a combination of prevarication and chutzpa, Bart saves Jellicott's business from bankruptcy and also wins the heart of heroine Tanya (Dorothy Jordan). By 1931, William Haines could have done this sort of role in his sleep, which at times seemed to be the case. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- William Haines, Dorothy Jordan, (more)
- 1931
Actor Robert Montgomery would serve as a lieutenant in the U.S. Naval Reserve during WWII, but he was just a lowly seaman in the 1931 MGM programmer Shipmates. When he's not being pushed around by chief petty officer Ernest Torrence, naval recruit Jonesy (Montgomery) is busily wooing Kit (Dorothy Jordan) the daughter of Admiral Corbin (Hobart Bosworth). After several reels of irresponsibility, Jonesy proves his worth by preventing an arsenal ship from being destroyed by a burning oil tanker. Cliff Edwards provides the requisite comic relief as a goofy gob named Bilge. Though Shipmates could hardly qualify as Robert Montgomery's best film, it was the picture in which he was finally afforded top billing, thereby increasing his salary to a daunting $2100 per week. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Cedric Hardwicke, Robert Montgomery, (more)
- 1931
The continental-flavored comedy drama Beloved Bachelor was based on a play by Edward H. Peple. Unmarried sculptor Paul Lukas and his two bachelor pals kindheartedly adopt little orphan girl Betty Van Allen. Time passes, and awkward little Van Allen grows up to be lovely and graceful Dorothy Jordan. Lukas and Jordan's feelings towards one another go far beyond familial, but neither dares to cross over the line. When Lukas' fiancee Vivienne Osborne jilts him, he finally comes to grips with the fact that it's Jordan whom he truly loves. Beloved Bachelor is basic Daddy Long Legs stuff, tastefully handled; the film proved a big hit in 1931, much to the relief of financially strapped Paramount Pictures. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Paul Lukas, Dorothy Jordan, (more)
- 1930
Originally filmed under the title The House of Troy, In Gay Madrid was one of four 1930 MGM operettas designed to show off the singing talents of silent-screen idol Ramon Novarro. The star is cast as Ricardo, a young, headstrong student in love with cabaret girl Goyita (Lottice Howell). Trouble is, he already has a sweetheart, the demure Carmina (Dorothy Jordan). This being an essentially lighthearted frolic, Ricardo eventually goes back to his true love, while Goyita philosophically moves on to her next conquest. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ramon Novarro, Dorothy Jordan, (more)
- 1930
The last of three back-to-back Ramon Novarro musicals, Call of the Flesh (aka The Singer of Seville) casts the star as aspiring opera singer Juan. Juan is advised by his mentor Esteban (Ernest Torrence) that he will never truly be a great singer until his heart is broken. This comes about when our hero falls in love with nun-in-training Maria (Dorothy Jordan), genteelly abducting her from the convent with romance in mind. But the Call of God is stronger than the Call of the Flesh, and Novarro must relinquish the love of his life -- but oh, how magnificently he sings on the occasion! Credibility is not this film's strong suit, but Novarro, once considered a leading rival to Rudolph Valentino, is in fine form, especially when he dances a sultry tango with Renee Adoree (in her last film). Originally filmed in Technicolor, Call of the Flesh is presently available only in black and white. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ramon Novarro, Dorothy Jordan, (more)
- 1930
This early talkie melodrama features a waterfront hotel-owner (Marie Dressler) and her relationship with an area fisherman (Wallace Beery). The two are the guardians for a young girl (Dorothy Jordan) whose mother deserted her, but they lose custody of the girl to truant officers. The couple scrape up enough money to get the child back and into a boarding school, where she finds love with a wealthy young man (Donald Dillaway). Dressler won the Oscar for Best Actress in this 1930 film, the year's box-office breakthrough. ~ John Bush, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Marie Dressler, Wallace Beery, (more)
- 1930
A remake of the 1927 William Haines comedy Spring Fever, Love in the Rough was designed as a musical, though virtually all the songs were cut from the final release print (we see a chorus of secretaries typing rhythmically in the opening scene, yet this obvious song cue is cut short with nary a note). Robert Montgomery steps into the Haines role as Kelly, a shipping clerk who poses as an executive to gain access to a ritzy country club. Here he boasts of his prowess as a golfer, hoping to win the heart of heiress Marilyn (Dorothy Jordan). Amazingly, our hero bluffs his way into a golf tournament -- and wins, with the help of Jewish caddie Benny (Benny Rubin). If second lead Dorothy McNulty looks familiar, she should: eight years later, under her new nom de film of Penny Singleton, she starred in Columbia's Blondie series. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Montgomery, Dorothy Jordan, (more)
- 1929
As the silent era drew to a close (along with their marriage), Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks made this early talkie, appearing in their first film together as William Shakespeare's rambunctious couple Katherine and Petruchio in The Taming of the Shrew. In this pared down, slapstick version of Shakespeare's comedy, Petruchio rides into town facing backwards on a jackass, strumming a lyre, looking for his fair-haired, soon-to-be-wife Katherine. The two engage in a battle of the sexes, complete with verbal sparring and pratfalls, until Katherine is brought down to size and made to be subservient to her loutish husband. Although disputed in John C. Tibbetts' book His Majesty, the American, legend has it that Samuel Taylor, the film's director who also adapted the screenplay, had the writer's credit read "By William Shakespeare, with additional dialogue by Sam Taylor." The film was re-scored and re-edited (drastically shortening the film) in 1966. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks, (more)
- 1929
In this college campus musical comedy from director James Tinling, the first film in which John Wayne received billing (though it's as Duke Morrison), Lois Moran stars as Mary, a pretty young singer who is sought after by two competing composers. Wayne plays Phil, one of the two rival songwriters who are vying not only for the girl, but for a 1,500-dollar prize for writing the best show tune. Mary agrees to sing each of their entries in the contest, but in the end she can only choose one of the young men. Songs include "Too Wonderful for Words," by William Kernell, Dave Stamper, Paul Gerard Smith, and Edmund Joseph; "Stepping Along," also by Kernell; and "Shadows," by Con Conrad, Sidney Mitchell, and Archie Gottler. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lois Moran, Tom Patricola, (more)
- 1929
This romantic adventure chronicles the escapades of one of Napoleon's followers. After his leader's exile, the follower is arrested and slated for execution. He is before the firing squad, but manages to escape. To hide, he dashes into the bedroom of a bedazzling Royalist. He falls in love, but she patriotically turns him in. Again he makes a daring escape. Once again he meets the beautiful woman, who undergoes a change of heart and this time, stays loyal to the daring adventurer. Songs include: Songs: "Bon Jour," "Louie," "March of the Old Guard," "Why Waste Your Charms," "The Gang Song," "Madame Pompadour," "Charming," "If He Cared." ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ramon Novarro, Dorothy Jordan, (more)
